Combination gangplank and fluid transfer apparatus



Jan. 11, 1966 R. VOASE ETAL 3, 8,051

COMBINATION GANGPLANK AND FLUID TRANSFER APPARATUS Filed Feb. 27, 1963 INVENTORS.

I i i THOMAS R. VOASE L. FREDERICK a. CALLANEN FIG. I BY ATTOR Y.

United States Patent 3,228,051 COMBINATION GANGPLANK AND FLUID TRANSFER APPARATUS Thomas R. Voase, *McHenry, and Frederick B. Callanen,

Harrington, Ill., assignors, by mesne assignments, to

Union Oil Company of California, Los Angeles, Calif.,

a corporation of California Filed Feb. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 261,439 8 Claims. (Cl. 14-71) This invention relates to a combined gangplank and fluid transfer apparatus for use in connection with the loading and unloading cargo from oil tankers, gasoline barges, and the like.

In the unloading of petroleum products from barges it is customary to provide connection between the barge and the shore facility by means of flexible conduits or hoses which communicate with the shore storage facility and with the hold of the barge. Since it is customary to unload from a plurality of hold compartments concurrently, a plurality of such conduits is required. It is further usually necessary to provide one or more gangplanks to permit operating personnel to move freely between the barge and shore.

It is an object of this invention to provide a more convenient apparatus for the handling of fluid cargo than has heretofore existed. Another object of this invention is to provide a unitary assembly which serves as both a gangplank and fluid transfer conduit.

The invention is best described with reference to the drawing, of which,

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a cargo handling apparatus fabricated in accordance with this invention,

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged detail view of a pivot assembly which forms a portion of the apparatus of this invention.

Referring to the drawing, a dock designated generally by the numeral is supported by a plurality of piles 12 and provided with a suitable deck 14. The dock is equipped with a mast 16, which is rotatively supported from pile 12 by bearing assembly 18, so that the mast can rotate about its vertical axis. Back bracing 20 is provided to give rigidity to the mast.

A combination gangplank and fluid transfer apparatus designated generally by the numeral 22 comprises two generally parallel, tubular stringers 24 and 26 which are spaced apart at a distance to provide a suitable walkway. The tubular stringers 24 and 26 are secured together by a plurality of transverse struts 28. The struts may be hollow or solid and of any desired cross-section. Preferably the struts are tubular and are secured in place by welding to the external surfaces of tubular stringers 24 and 26. Thus the struts and stringers together form a rigid structure which supports deck 30. Deck 30 may be fabricated of wood or other conventional deck materials, but can most conveniently be made by Welding strips of expanded metal grating to the tops of the stringers and transverse struts as shown.

Referring to FIGURE 3, the dock supported end of the rigid structure comprising stringers 24 and 26 and struts 28 is supported from rotatable mast 16 by means of a pivot assembly which comprises trunion support plates 34 and 36, trunions 38 and 40, and pillow blocks 42 and 44. The pillow blocks may be welded directly to mast 16. The opposite end of the gangplank, which rests upon barge 46, is provided with wheels 48 and 50, which are supported by means of axle 52. Axle 52 may be welded or otherwise secured to stringers 24 and 26 adjacent the dock remote ends thereof. Wheels 48 and 50 permit relative movement between the barge and gangplank.

Winch 56, together with suitable rigging secured between the top of mast 16 and a point intermediate the ends of the gangplank, provides means by which the gangplank can be raised or rotated in a vertical plane about the pivoted end thereof. The rigging means includes wire cable 58 and blocks 60 and 62. A hand rail assembly 64 is provided along one side of the gangplank. Each end of each of the stringers 24 and 26 is provided with a conven tional commercial swivel joint assembly, so that connection can readily be made to suitable hoses or flexible conduits which connect to the hold of the barge and to shore storage facilities. Since, for structural reasons, it is desirable to make tubular stringers 24 and 26 of greater diameter than the hoses or conduits usually employed, reduction fittings 68 are provided at each end of each tubular stringer intermediate the end of the stringer and the swivel joint. The swivel joints are preferably adapted for movement in two planes, so that hoses connected to the joints can assume a natural position irrespective of the angle of the gangplank, which, of course, is a function of the height of the barge deck and is subject to change during loading and unloading.

The gangplank assembly can be raised to a nearly vertical position when not in use so as to provide minimum obstruction of the docking area. When a barge has come into position adjacent the dock, the gangplank is lowered by means of winch 56 until wheels 48 and 50 strike the deck of the barge. The winch may be then further unwound to permit some slack in the wire cable 58, the gangplank being supported at each end by the dock and by the barge. Connection is made to swivel joints 66 and liquid products pumped from the barge to shore through tubular stringers 24 and 26. The gangplank is free to rise and fall with the barge, and horizontal movement of the barge relative to the gangplank is permitted by wheels 48 and 50. When the unloading has been completed, the hoses or conduits are disconnected from swivel joints 66 and the gangplank raised or swung to one side by means of winch 56.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications of the apparatus as described may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. For example, any desired number of tubular stringers, two or more, can be provided. The mast, of course, can be rigidly, rather than rotatively, mounted to the dock; and the dock adjacent end of the gangplank can be supported directly from the dock by suitable bearing means. While the gangplank is preferably supported at the dock for rotation in both horizontal and vertical planes, for some purposes it may be sufficient that the gangplank be supported for rotation in a vertical plane only. Where the barge is not subject to great movement, the wheels 48 and 50 may be omitted. In some instances it may be desirable to omit the mast and rigging at the dock. This is likely to be the case where it is desired to carry the gangplank assembly aboard the barge or tanker, instead of keeping it at the dock. It will be evident that in this case the assembly can be pivotably supported from the barge or tanker, if desired.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In combination with a dock structure, a gangpl'ank, and fluid transfer apparatus comprising two parallel, spaced, tubular stringers of substantially equal length, a plurality of struts extending transversely of said stringers intermediate the ends thereof, each strut being secured to each stringer to form a rigid structure, a deck extending over a substantial portion of the length of said rigid structure and secured thereto, joint means associated with each end of said two tubular stringers for making sealed connection between said tubular stringers and fluid conduits, means supported by said dock structure for pivotably supporting said rigid structure adjacent one end thereof for rotation in a vertical plane and means on the other end of said rigid structure, opposite the pivotably supported end, adapted to support said other end from a horizontal plane.

2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said means for pivotably supporting said rigid structure is a means, permitting rotation of said rigid structure in horizontal and vertical planes.

3. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 in which said joints are swivel joints.

4. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 in which said means on said opposite end is a wheel secured to the said opposite end adapted to support said other end from a ship or the like.

5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including a mast supported from said dock structure and rigging means secured at one end to said mast and at the other end to said support structure intermediate the ends thereof, whereby the said other end of said support structure is raised or lowered.

6. In combination with a dock structure, a mast supported for axial rotation adjacent an edge of said dock structure, a combination gangplank and fluid transfer apparatus comprising two parallel, spaced, tubular stringers of substantially equal length, a plurality of sturts extending transversely of said stringers intermediate the ends thereof, each strut being secured to each stringer to form a rigid structure, a deck extending over a substantial portion of the length of said rigid structure and secured thereto, joint means associated with each end of said two tubular stringers for making sealed connections between said tubular stringers and fluid conduits, bearing means secured to said mast adjacent the lower end thereof for pivotably supporting said gangplank adjacent one end thereof for rotation in a vertical plane and rigging means secured at one end to said mast and at the other end to said gangplank intermediate the ends thereof, whereby the said other end of said gangplank is raised or lowered.

7. An apparatus in accordance with claim 6 in which said joints are swivel joints.

8. An apparatus in accordance with claim 7 including a wheel secured to the said other end of said gangplank and adapted to support said other end from a horizontal plane.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 178,562. 6/1876 Renwick et a1 182-52 289,869 12/1883 Spelman 182-52 298,212 5/1884 Knight 14-72 X 312,908 2/1885 Shickle 182-52 558,361 4/1896 DeWitt 14-71 724,953 4/1903 Schaller 18252 2,117,008 5/1938 Oswalt 18252. 2,617,131 11/1952 Harris 14-71 2,641,785 6/1953 Pitts et a1. 1471 3,090,489 5/1963 Smith 4-172 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Examiner. 

1. IN A COMBINATION WITH A DOCK STRUCTURE, A GANGPLANK AND FLUID TRANSFER APPARATUS COMPRISING TWO PARALLEL, SPACED, TUBULAR STRINGERS OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL LENGTH, A PLURALITY OF STRUTS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID STRINGERS INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF, EACH STRUT BEING SECURED TO EACH STRINGER TO FORM A RIGID STRUCTURE, A DECK EXTENDING OVER A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE LENGTH OF SAID RIGID STRUCTURE AND SECURED THERETO, JOINT MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH END OF SAID TWO TUBULAR STRINGERS FOR MAKING SEALED CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID TUBULAR STRINGERS AND FLUID CONDUITS, MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID DOCK STRUCTURE FOR POVITABLY SUPPORTING SAID RIGID STRUCTURE ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF FOR ROTATION IN A VERTICAL PLANE AND MEANS ON THE OTHER END OF SAID RIGID STRUCTURE, OPPOSITE THE PIVOTABLY SUPPORTED END, ADAPTED TO SUPPORT SAID OTHER END FROM A HORIZONTAL PLANE. 